There have been over 900,000 San Diego COVID cases so far. The virus continues to spread despite health and safety measures.
The best way to protect you and your family is to follow local and state guidelines and practice reasonable caution. You know to wear a mask, wash your hands, and stay 6 feet apart.
But if everyone knows that, why do cases keep rising?
The truth is that there are places and events that remain unsafe in the current climate. And by avoiding these situations you can drastically reduce your risk of contracting or spreading the virus.
Keep reading to find out the top 8 places in San Diego that may be contributing to the rise in COVID-19 cases.
1. Populated Public Transit
In the greater San Diego area, there are communities that rely on public transportation. Whether it is to get their kids to school or themselves to work, busses and trolleys are the only answer.
As a result, many blue-collar workers in the Otay Mesa area and beyond have been forced to use public transportation causing overcrowding. Imagine trying to remain socially distant with 50 other people on a bus. It’s not going to happen.
If you have the opportunity to drive your own car, work remotely, or commute during non-peak hours take advantage of it!
2. Lengthy Gatherings
We now know that the amount of time people spend together is as important as where it takes place. Whether it is a small gathering outside someone’s home or a larger event in a park or open space, the length of the event matters.
Although San Diego has recommended gatherings be 2 hours or less, some groups have not been following this guideline.
So, if you are going to attend a safe, socially distant event, set an alarm on your phone to make sure you remember to keep socializing to the suggested time limit.
3. Bars (Even Outdoors)
San Diego closed many restaurants, taprooms, and bars at the beginning of the pandemic. More recently, the bars with outdoor seating have opened up again but at limited capacity.
Despite advertising as safe socialization, be wary of the outdoor bar scene. One of the biggest issues is that people drinking alcohol are more likely to slip up on safety because of their altered mental state.
Feel free to keep getting takeout from your favorite local spots, but maybe wait on returning to the bar.
4. Faith-Based Buildings
For many individuals and families in San Diego and across the country it has been hard not to have traditional group worship services. Many churches, mosques, and synagogues have moved to virtual meetings instead.
However, some faith-based buildings have reopened. And unfortunately, one of the recent COVID-19 outbreaks was traced back to this building and gathering.
There are a number of reasons why COVID-19 spread in this environment including the limited space, increased talking and singing, and the inability to properly socially distance.
5. Weddings
This is not limited to catching or spreading COVID-19 in San Diego, but it’s still important to mention on this list.
There has been some back and forth regarding the guidelines for weddings. Early on during the pandemic, no indoor or outdoor weddings were allowed because it constituted too large of a gathering.
During mid-June things in San Diego started to open back up again including wedding ceremonies and receptions.
However, as of October 10th, 2020 San Diego is not allowing wedding receptions. Ceremonies may occur, but any kind of social gathering is not supposed to happen. That being said, not everyone is following this rule.
If it’s a local wedding or if you are traveling to a wedding, be very careful at this type of gathering. We have seen from the recent news that events like weddings can be superspreaders for the virus.
6. Office Building
Two recent outbreaks in San Diego have been traced back to office settings. Due to the shared spaces and limited distancing, these environments can put you at an increased risk of contracting the virus.
It isn’t possible to pinpoint exactly how the virus spreads within businesses. But smaller shared conference rooms and other close spaces are likely culprits.
Avoiding the office or limiting time in the office is ideal. Feel free to host as many virtual meetings as you want!
If you do have to go into the office, wear a mask and stay 6 feet away from coworkers. Wash your hands frequently and wipe down surfaces.
7. Nail Salons
San Diego County COVID-19 cases have risen since June partially due to the reopening of businesses. Nail salons present a higher risk of COVID spread due to the confined space.
If everyone is wearing a mask, the risk should remain low. But the risk is still present with multiple people gathered closely together.
You may be feeling like there aren’t many things left to do in the San Diego area, but there are plenty of responsible fun activities you can do in San Diego.
8. Grocery Stores
The risk from grocery stores is lower than some of the other locations on this list. However, a recent outbreak of COVID-19 was traced back to a grocery store. It is a confined space with the potential for exposure.
Community grocery stores remain open but proceed with caution. If you can limit your trips to the grocery store and time spent inside, you can reduce your risk. Explore the option of getting groceries delivered for convenience and safety.
Reducing San Diego COVID Cases
We are all in this together. You can protect yourself, your family, and your community by practicing social distancing and wearing a mask. You can also reduce your risk of contracting and spreading the virus by limiting your exposure to the locations listed above.
San Diego has had a few recent outbreaks traced back to these locations. So in order to lower the number of San Diego COVID cases, we need to learn from these incidents.
If you think you may have been exposed to the virus, you can search for COVID testing San Diego to find the nearest testing location.
Looking to get healthy or stay healthy? Contact us today to see how we can help you live a longer, healthier life.